Good Sweet Earth

  • About
    • About us/ FAQ
    • blog
    • See the results
    • Associations & certifications
    • Giving Back
  • Lawn Fertilization
  • Garden Pro Service
  • Contact: 616-594-0693
  • Good Sweet Earth Grassroots
  • About
    • About us/ FAQ
    • blog
    • See the results
    • Associations & certifications
    • Giving Back
  • Lawn Fertilization
  • Garden Pro Service
  • Contact: 616-594-0693
  • Good Sweet Earth Grassroots

Yard & Garden Blog

Mulch, don't rake, your leaves in the fall

11/15/2018

0 Comments

 
If you can remember back to this spring, you'll recall we had some very cold, icy weather well into April. That late blast of winter pushed the spring bloom back a couple weeks for a lot of plants, including for our magnolia tree.

It seems that magnolia wanted to get all it could out of this season since it got such a late start on things, because it also decided to drop its leaves late this year too. 

Today I was finally able to take care of those leaves. And it was a great day for my lawn.

I always tell anyone who will listen that they should mulch mow their lawn, all season long. That means, from the first mow of spring through the final leafy mow of the fall, take that bag off your mower and let those clippings stay on your lawn.

Making sure you mulch those leaves in the fall (instead of raking them up) is especially important, because they do so much for your turf.

First, those mulched leaves provide a home for critters-- both the macrobial and microbial populations in your yard. They allow beneficial bugs and fungi and bacteria and other critters to overwinter more effectively. A healthy turf relies on those living things, so we should be doing everything we can to make sure they're taken care of on our lawns.

Second, those mulched leaves are nature's fertilizer. They break down and release nutrients into the soil which your lawn needs for growth. Then as they break down, they turn into compost for your soil. Soil with a healthy level of compost (organic matter) holds both water and nutrients more effectively, which helps your lawn stay healthy all year long (even in the blazing hot summer and frigid winter).

Finally, those mulched leaves serve as insulation for your turf over the winter. Think of that thin layer of chopped up leaves as a blanket for your yard, which means your grass won't suffer as much through the harsh west Michigan winter.

In some cases, you may have to run your mower over those leaves two or three times to get the particles small enough for you to be comfortable with. But the extra bit of mowing will be worth it in  the spring.

In some parts of our yard, I don't even bother to mulch the leaves. I just let them overwinter at full-size, and then in the spring I mulch them up for an early-season lawn feeding. If you've got a smaller yard, or neighbors who might cast judgement upon you, I don't recommend just leaving the leaves, however. Mulch 'em. But if you've got areas of your yard where you just don't care about a little unsightly leaf cover, I say let them go until April. They'll do what nature intended: Cover and feed the soil. (One word of warning: If you've got a really thick leaf cover on your lawn, or you've got big heavy leaves, like from a magnolia tree, you're gonna want to do at least one pass with the mower, otherwise the blanket will be too thick, and may smother your grass or encourage mold.)
0 Comments

Your comment will be posted after it is approved.


Leave a Reply.

    Author

    Steve & Corey Veldheer are organic yard & garden specialists in west Michigan.

    Categories

    All
    Animals
    AskTheLawnGuy
    Climate Change
    Current Events
    Farmer's Almanac
    Farming
    Flowers
    Food
    Garden
    History
    Lawn
    Master Gardener
    Michigan
    Microbes
    Off Season
    Pests
    Recipe
    Science
    Soil
    Water
    Weeds
    Worms

    Archives

    July 2022
    June 2022
    April 2022
    January 2022
    September 2020
    June 2020
    March 2020
    January 2020
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    January 2019
    November 2018
    July 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    October 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    August 2014
    July 2014
    March 2014
    November 2013
    September 2013
    August 2013

    RSS Feed

What we offer

Lawn Fertilization
Soil amendments
Yard & garden blog

Who we are

About us/FAQ
Associations & certifications

How you can reach us

Contact
Phone: 616-594-0693
Email: office@GoodSweetEarth.com​
​


© 2022, GOOD SWEET EARTH LLC.
​ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.